Protective toothbrush holder



ug- 14, 1951 M. R. FARNHAM PROTECTIVE TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed June 11.1948 Patented Aug. 14, 1951 U Nl TED lS TAT-E S PATE NT 0 FFI CE vPROTECTIVE 'TOO'IHBRUSHy HOLDER `Maurice"RFa1`"ham, Aberdeen, S..\Dak.

Application'une 11, 1948, Serial No;V 32,387

6 claims. (o1. 20s-415.1)

The invention relates to toothbrush-holders -orA containers and hasparticularfrelation to :a

holder designed lor retaining in fully 'protected position, aipluralityoi" brushes in separate'in dividually designated compartments each'designed for use by asinglefperson.

A lprincipal object of the invention is to provide Va holder orsupport'cf this character which is 'composed of fewfpartsand which'iscapable of leasy manipulation by a number'` ofpersons for convenientlyobtaininghaccess `to andA replacing the brush in his or her individualcompartment of the holder or receptacle.

-A further'object istoprovide'a 'brush :holder Vor support wherein theybristle Vportion offthe brush is fully protected and enclosedoutiofcontact with the holder, thereby insuring :against Vbrushcontamination'v as well asfacilitating rapid drying of the'brushbristles.

vThe brush holder'fconsti-tuting"thef instant invention is Acomposed ofrelatively. few parts'which may 'be economically I"manufactured vandeasily assembled and installed ior'convenientuse by'any desirednumber'of `different personsyeach having an individual toothbrush vwhichis fully' enclosed and protected from dust, -dirt'and bacteria-in aseparate lindividual compartment of the fholder.

A further object of the invention is .toprovide a toothbrush holder ofthe character described wherein provisionis made for permitting 'quickdrying of the brush after use,"as Well as for fully enclosing the same`against. dustpand dirtv accumulations when not in use, yet permittingin`stant `accessV to any particular toothbrush .by its owner when desired.

A further object is to provide a toothbrush receptacle which isattractive inap-pearance and designed for convenient installation inthebathroom so as to present an ornamental appearance as a Xture completelyenclosing and 'concealing from the vision if desired, a plurality 'of'toothbrushes.

Numerous other objects and advantages'of, the invention willbe apparentas it isbetter .understood from the followingdescription, which, takenin connection with'the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment'ther'eof.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective viewvofthe holder.

Fig. 2 is a-vertical section on line-.Z-#L1 *oliig-l.

Fig. 3 is a'transversesectionwon li'ne'13-3-.of

Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of "therholder with thecover removed and'drawn' to a'smaller'sca'le.

Fig 5 is a'perspective viewof'one ofthe re- I2 silient brush retainingelementsror leafsprings employed in the holder, also drawnvonv a reducedscale.

Referring tothe drawings, thev holder isvillustrated as'preferablyvcomprising ka housingor casing I!) which may be: constructedcf'anyrde'sired and vappropriate material, and is szpreferably ofgenerally rectangular elongated-conguration'as shown. The housing. lfVmay bez composed if" desired of plastic material whichhasian'zattractive appearance4 andA `lends itself itoiconvenient icleaning 'and 'polishing'when' necessary; orthe; housingmay-be'constructed of wood or metal.

v In theI embodiment-.illustrated'the'z housingrfinclude-soasubstantial-ly" solid elongatedbodyportion I'I-having afrontzclosureiort'cover member I2 removably secured thereto asbyfuppera'nd lowerl screwsV I3. If-hefbody. portionfof: the `holder ispreferablyf provided V'with :a'fseries of any desired "number, ofelongated vertical .recesses or 'toothbrush ycompartments I4 "defined orset' off by interposed partitionV walls I5, Awhich "latter may `beformed rintegrally'fwith the Ibodyzportion I I of the holder casing I0.

vThe upper portionof the'holder including'. the cover memberl I2, isfurther provided wizh one'or more transverse perforations Ia forthereception 0f-'suitable securing members'such'fas'screwsl :brush headreceiving compartment sections' I9 oi .greater depth'or extent. 'Thesaid .brush 'conipartments `I4 are' desirably open at their lower ends`as indicated at ZO'and' closed at their upper ends by horizontal'wallportionsIZIy as'best seen in Fig. 2.

Each zbrush` compartment EIll is designed "to house "anv'elongatedvertically disposed `'leaf spring memberf22 formedof/sheet metal or anydesired resilient. material, thek lower endsl of such' spring membersybeing respectivelyl secured i asbyfa screw 23 tothe tbody :portion i Iof the-holderjhousing creasing. Theopposite-ends of the'elon'g'atedspringy ele1nents221are free' from attachment I 'iid project verticallyinto t the upper brush 'hand-le receiving t compartment sections =I`8,and v`v:each

l.) spring member is bent outwardly as at 24 so as to closely conform tothe adjacent inclined intermediate wall -portion I'I at the rear of eachbrush compartment. This construction and arrangement results in theupper free end of each leaf spring being inclined forwardly so as toyieldably rest at its upper end against the front wall or cover memberof the holder.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the handle portion 25of a toothbrush B is manually inserted in an upward direction into oneof the brush compartments I4, the handle Will engage and ride along thefree end of the leaf spring 22 in such compartment so as to press orflex the spring rearwardly until the bristle or head portion 26 of thebrush is received and confined within the lower compartment portion I9as illustrated. In this position the outward pressure of the leaf springagainst the handle serves to yieldably and removably confine the brushin inverted position within its compartment in fully enclosed andprotected position.

When in enclosed projected position it will be noted that thecompartments are ventilated for drying the brush through their loweropen ends, and additional vent openings or aperture-s 2 may if desired.be provided in the upper portion of the housing to communicate with thebrush compartment, thereby affording free air circulation therethrough.

The forward wall or cover member I2 of the housing is provided withspaced horizontally aligned apertures 28 disposed respectively inregistry with the brush compartments for the reception therethrough of aseries of manually depressible .push buttons or pins 29, each having aninner enlarged head 30 normally engaged by the upper free end of itscorresponding leaf spring element 22 in the compartment so as to tend toyieldably maintain the pins in outwardly projected position, and againstdisplacement from their respective apertures.

As indicated in Fig. 1 the several brush compartments I4 are designedfor the reception of individual toothbrushes owned by different personsor members of a family. These different individuals for example may berepresented by corresponding initials generally indicated at 3| andrespectively disposed adjacent the individual push buttons or pins 29.

If desired the upper wall surface of the housing IU may be formed orconstructed of inwardly dished or concave configuration as indicated at32 so as to constitute a convenient retaining support for a tubulartooth paste container of conventional cylindrical shape, for convenientaccess by the various members of the group or family for whom the holderconstituting the present invention is particularly designed.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that each toothbrush B isfrictionally retained in fully enclosed position within its properindividual compartment I4 by the mere vertical insertion of the brushwith its handle uppermost into the lower open end 20 of the compartmentor recess. When thus inserted the frictional resilient engagement of thebrush handle 25 between the front wall or cover I2 and adjacent leafspring 22, is sulcient to hold the brush against its tendency to dropfrom the holder. 'When it is desired to obtain access to a particularbrush, the owner thereof manually depresses a pin 29 opposite thecompartment visually indicated as containing the desired brush. Thisresults in the enlarged inner end of the pin or plunger 29 forc-` 4. ingor flexing the free upper end of the leaf spring 22 inwardly and out ofcontact with the brush handle 25. When thus released the brush im=mediately drops by gravity through the operi lower end of thecompartment and into the hand of the person desirous of using the brush.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the arrangement andconfiguration of the relatively few parts of the holder are such as toadapt the same to frictionally retain within the individual brushcompartment or compartments, various types of toothbrushes havinghandles of varying curvature and configuration, without necessitatingmodifications in spring or compartment structure in order to effectuallyengage and hold such toothbrush handles desired to .be inserted into thereceptacle.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the arrangement of parts issuch that when the tooth brushes are fully inserted in protectedinverted position within the holder, the bristles of the brush head aremaintained out of contact with any portion of the holder or compartmentwalls. This serves as an added insurance against possible contaminationof the brush as well as facilitating more rapid drying thereof when notin use.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A toothbrush holder comprising a substantially closed casing open atone end for the reception of a toothbrush therein, a spring membersecured at one end to an interior wall surface of said holder andresiliently engageable at its opposite end with a toothbrush insertedwithin the holder, a portion of said opposite spring member endprojecting beyond the spring engaged brush, said holder furtherincluding manually movable means projecting from said casing andengageable at its inner end with said projecting end portion of saidspring member, inward movement of said movable means engaging the samewith and releasing said spring member from its resilient engagement withthe enclosed toothbrush to permit the same to be removed from saidholder.

2. A toothbrush holder comprising an elongated substantially closedcasing open at its bottom end for the reception of a toothbrush therein,a leaf spring member secured at one end to the interior of said holderand resiliently engageable at its opposite free end with a toothbrushinserted within said open bottom end of the holder to yieldably supportthe toothbrush within said casing, a portion of said opposite springmember end projecting beyond the spring engaged brush, and a push buttonprojecting from said casing and engageable at its inner end with saidprojecting portion of the free end of said spring member, inwardmovement of said push button pressing said spring member out of contactand away from its resilient engagement with the enclosed toothbrush topermit the same to drop by gravity from the open bottom end of theholder.

3. A protective toothbrush holder, comprising an elongated substantiallyclosed rectangular housing having an apertured front wall enclos- Y ingan individual brush compartment open at its lower end, an elongated leafspring member secured adjacent its lower end to the rear wall of saidcompartment, the upper free end of said spring member being inclinedforwardly so as to be resiliently engageable with the handle portion ofa toothbrush inserted vertically upwardly into said housing through theopen lower end of said compartment to normally frictionally press andsupport the brush handle against the front wall of said housing, aportion of said upper end of said spring member projecting upwardlybeyond the supported brush, and an inwardly depressible push buttonelement projecting through the aperture in said housing front wall andengageable at its inner end with the upwardly projecting portion of thefree upper end of said spring member so as to be yieldingly maintainedthereby in outwardly projected position, manual inward depression ofsaid button element yieldably forcing said spring member inwardly out ofcontact and holding engagement with a brush handle in said compartment,to permit the toothbrush to drop by gravity through the open lowercompartment end and away from enclosed position within the housing.

4. A protective toothbrush holder, comprising an elongated substantiallyclosed rectangular housing having an apertured front wall enclosing aplurality of individual brush compartments open at their lower ends anddisposed in horizontally spaced parallel relation, a plurality ofelongated leaf spring members respectively secured adjacent their lowerends to rear walls of said compartments, the upper free ends of saidspring members being inclined forwardly so as to be respectivelyresiliently engageable with the handle portions of a plurality oftoothbrushes individually inserted vertically upwardly into said housingthrough the open lower ends of said compartments to normallyfrictionally press and yieldably support the .brush handles againstdisplacement from the front wall of Said housing, the upper free endextremities of said spring members extending above the handle portionsof said toothbrushes, and a plurality of inwardly depressible pushbutton elements projecting through the apertures in said housing frontwall and respectively engageable at their inner ends with said extendedextremities of the free upper ends of said spring members above thebrush handles to yieldingly maintain said push button elements inoutwardly projected position, manual inward depression of a said buttonelement yieldably forcing and exing its adjacent spring member inwardlyout of contact and its normal holding engagement with a brush handle inthe associated compartment, to permit the toothbrush to drop by gravitythrough its open compartment end and out of enclosed position within thehousing.

5. A toothbrush holder comprising an elongated substantially closedcasing open at its bottom end for the reception of a toothbrush therein,a substantially fiat leaf spring member secured at its lower end to aninterior wall surface of said holder and normally resiliently engageableat its opposite free upper end with a toothbrush inserted upwardlywithin said open bottom end of the holder to support the brush withinsaid casing, a portion of said opposite spring member end projectingbeyond the spring engaged brush, and a push button projecting from saidcasing and engageable at its inner end with said projecting free endportion of said spring member, inward movement of said push buttonengaging and pressing and flexing said spring member away from contactand resilient engagement with the enclosed toothbrush to permit the sameto drop by gravity through the open bottom end of the holder, theinterior holder Wall surface to which the lower end of said leaf springmember is secured being outwardly inclined and offset so as to projectthe free upper end of the spring forwardly into engaging relation withsaid toothbrush and push button.

6. A protective toothbrush holder, comprising an elongated substantiallyclosed rectangular housing having an apertured front wall enclosing aplurality of individual brush compartments open at their lower ends anddisposed in horizontally spaced parallel relation, a plurality ofsubstantially flat elongated leaf spring members respectively securedadjacent their lower ends to outwardly inclined offset portions of therear walls of said compartments, the upper free ends of said springmembers being inclined forwardly by said offset wall portions so as tobe respectively resiliently engagealole with the handle portions of aplurality of toothbrushes individually inserted vertically upwardly intosaid housing through the open lower ends of said compartments tonormally frictionally lpress and yieldably support and hold the brushhandles against the front wall of said housing, the upper free endextremities of said spring members extending above the handle portionsof said toothbrushes, and a plurality of inwardly depressible pushbutton elements projecting through the apertures in said housing frontwall and respectively engageable at their inner ends with said upperfree end extremities of said spring members so as to be yieldinglymaintained thereby in outwardly projected position, manual inwarddepression of a said button element yieldably flexing its adjacentspring member inwardly out of holding engagement with a juxtaposed brushhandle in a said compartment, to permit the toothbrush to drop bygravity through the open lower end of its said compartment and out ofsaid housing.

MAURICE R. FARNHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,364,557 Hurley Jan. 4, 19211,453,816 Welpley May 1, 1923 2,401,058 Dunleavy May 28, 1946 2,459,006Sova Jan. 11, 1949

